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UA has disappointing 7th place finish in Mexico

For the Arizona men's golf team, finishing in seventh place at the U.S. Collegiate Golf Championships at the Eldorado Golf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico, was a disappointment.

"We're not happy at all," All-American senior Derek Gillespie said. "We're not happy with seventh place, and we have to look past this."

The No. 11 Wildcats were 32 shots behind the tournament champions, Georgia Tech, shooting a three-day total of 870, which is 6-over-par.

Freshman Reid Hatley said the team is not playing near its capability, which showed in the U.S. Collegiate.

"We have the talent, but to keep up with the top teams in the nation, it is just a matter of getting the job done," Hatley said. "I felt we could have done better, but we are just having trouble right now."

Arizona's tournament hopes took a turn for the worse on the second day, when freshman Ricky Barnes signed an incorrect scorecard and was disqualified.

Barnes, however, returned on the last day of play and shot and even-par-72.

"We were not happy with the situation, but we still had some golf to play," Gillespie said of Barnes' disqualification. "I'm sure he won't do that again."

In individual play, Hatley was the top finisher for UA, shooting a three-day total of 3-under-par 213, which earned him a 12th place finish.

"I felt I played really well, and I need a tournament like that," Hatley said. "I'm getting a lot more confidence in my capabilities, and I am more confident I can play with college players."

Sophomore Cody Beyer and Gillespie both finished the tournament tied for 24th, shooting 2-over-par 218, while senior Scott Moore placed 52nd.

Although Gillespie had solid practice rounds before the tournament, he struggled throughout the U.S. Collegiate.

"I was playing well going into the tournament, but I couldn't get the ball in the hole," Gillespie said. "I had some bright spots, but I had a few bad holes that took me out of the tournament."

Although UA did not play up to its expectations, Hatley believes they have potential to play with top teams in the country like Georgia Tech and Clemson.

"We have the talent, but we just need to put everything together," he said.